N.Y., Calif. Cracking Down On College Remediation

Higher education systems in two of the most populous states are
cracking down on students in need of remedial help.

In a 9-6 vote late last month, the New York state board of regents
approved a City University of New York proposal to phase out
remediation and end open enrollment at the institution's 11 four-year
colleges. At the same time, the university renowned for opening its
doors to all students will be required to monitor the effects on racial
and ethnic diversity.

New York's action follows a somewhat similar effort that took effect
in California last year and was implemented for the first time this
school year.

Trustees at California State University announced last month that
they had kicked out 1,440 students—5 percent of the sophomore
class—under a plan to eliminate underprepared pupils from the
institution's 23 campuses.

The students, notified in August, failed to meet CSU's basic English
and mathematics requirements, said Ken Swisher, a spokesman for the
360,000-student system.

Community College Role

The New York policy, part of CUNY's updated master plan, would take
effect at Baruch, Brooklyn, Hunter, and Queens colleges next month,
according to Alan Ray, a spokesman for the regents. It will start at
John Jay College of Criminal Justice, New York City Technical colleges
and the College of Staten Island next September, and at City, Medgar
Evers, Lehman, and York colleges in September 2001. The open-enrollment
policy the new measure replaces has been in place since 1968.

Under the new policy, freshmen who do not make the grade on
basic-skills tests will be redirected to the six CUNY community
colleges, Mr. Ray said. Those who miss the mark by only a few points
will be given the option of attending remedial classes offered by CUNY
during the summer or the regular school year at the four-year colleges.
Admission to the four-year colleges will be contingent on success in
the specially designed sessions.

"This is a vote for access with standards," Herman Badillo, who
designed the policy and serves as the chairman of CUNY and the
education adviser to New York City Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani, said.

Mr. Ray estimated that 150 to 200 students would be turned away from
the four-year colleges because they lack the skills.

Critics say the policy will have a broader impact.

The community college system will be "ghettoized" and perceived as a
"place where the dummies go," contended Henry M. Levin, a professor of
economics and education policy at Teachers College, Columbia
University.

Some 200,000 students are currently enrolled at CUNY's campuses,
said Rita Rodin, a spokeswoman for the institution—the largest
urban university and the third-largest university system in the
country. Half the members of every freshman class do not speak English
as their first language, Ms. Rodin added.

'Hold the Standards'

Meanwhile, the displaced students from the California State
University system have been sent to community colleges and can return
to the university once they've passed the English and math
requirements, Mr. Swisher said.

Under a plan crafted in 1996 and implemented in 1998, students
deemed in need of remediation must do any catch-up work by the end of
freshman year. Those who do not show proficiency at that time may not
return to the university.

"We've got to hold the standards," Chancellor Charles B. Reed
said.

Critics of the policy, however, contend that college students should
not be punished for the inadequacies of the K-12 systems from which
they graduated.

"They trusted the system to prepare them," said Virginia Whitby, a
spokeswoman for the California State Students Association, which
represents those attending CSU. "This is a situation for the whole of
the education community."

Last year, 79 percent of all CSU freshmen were deemed in need of
remediation in either English or math, Mr. Swisher said. Every one of
those students graduated from high school with a B average after taking
four years of English and three years of math, he noted.

The CSU board of trustees hopes to reduce the number of incoming
freshmen who need extra academic help by more than 10 percent by 2007,
Mr. Swisher said. Such programs cost the institution about $10 million
a year.

Officials recognize that booting underprepared students isn't the
only answer, Mr. Swisher said.

The university last month allocated $9 million to 223 K-12 schools
in California to establish or expand efforts to reduce remediation at
the college level. The recipients were targeted because they produced
the largest numbers of CSU students in need of extra help.

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